Forum home› Problem solving
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Ornamental cherry tree diseased help please!

BouncingBackBouncingBack Posts: 142
in Problem solving
Hi I'm very new to gardening so would appreciate any advice on what to do here. We had an ornamental cherry planted in early spring by our landscaper, along with an apple and plum tree. The cherry had a small strip of cling film wrapped around the trunk which I thought they had accidentally left there so I removed it (probably what caused the current issue). We have since staked it as it was looking as if it was going to blow over, and the diseased part is directly above where it's tied around the main trunk. As well as the 'wound', which is oozing sap, there are spots on the main trunk and surrounding branches as well as the lower leaves. Is the tree essentially doomed to die? It looks like what I have just learned may be canker and as it is on the main trunk below the branches I'm unable to remove the affected parts. Should we dig up the tree before it affects the others? I've noticed spots on the neighbouring tree too but no 'wound'. Any help would be greatly appreciated as I am a total amateur. 
«1

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I'm wondering whether that's where the tree has been grafted?

    @pansyface ... have you an opinion on this?

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    I was wondering if it was the graft too. If the growth above remains healthy, I think I would leave well alone and see what happens. But I would remove the tie and put it higher up, away from the damaged area. If the tie is hard and rough on the inside (hard to tell from the pic but I wouldn't be surprised if developers used cheap nasty ones) get one of the soft rubbery ones that won't damage the bark, and fasten it loose enough to allow a little room for growth (and loosen it more as the trunk grows thicker).
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • BouncingBackBouncingBack Posts: 142
    Forgive my ignorance, but what's a graft? The tie I bought myself from a garden centre and it is very soft, I made sure to leave some wiggle room then the tree can blow slightly and develop roots while not blowing over, and it isn't rubbing on the trunk. The tree was also leaning a lot and growing at an angle so needed encouraging to grow upright. It's tied below the damage and is healthy below and underneath the rubber, it's the trunk and branches just above and around the damage that's spotty. The rest of the tree/leaves are ok but I am concerned it'll spread fast. 
  • bcpathomebcpathome Posts: 1,313
    The graft is where the cherry tree had been attached to the root stock when they grow the trees ( not that exactly but for simplicity sake) and is perfectly ok to look like that .From what I can see from your picture the tree looks healthy enough to me .Sometimes they get the odd brownish leaf ,but unless it all goes brown and drops I reckon you’re ok 
    Remember to water it in the dry weather ,at the roots and a bucket full at least ,and just keep an eye on it .
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    This explains a bit more about grafting. Don’t worry about the details … but you’ll see a photo of a grafted cherry that looks very like yours 
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grafting

    Hope that helps. Please ask if you hav any questions … we were all beginners once and we’re all still learning 😊 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • BouncingBackBouncingBack Posts: 142
    Ahhh ok I'll leave it and see how it gets on then, thank you for your help! I'm watering everything early morning (have gone overboard and taken on too many plants for an amateur!) and feeding once a week with a liquid feed. In dry, hot weather like this I'm watering in the evening too. If the tree does continue to worsen, if we dig it up will the surrounding soil be affected? It's planted in a raised bed with good drainage and has decent mulch with space around the base of the trunk.

    From reading that Wikipedia page it does very much look like a graft and would explain the cling film - is it normal for the area to ooze and be discoloured (it looks wet)? And are the spots ok? 
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    jenniferavril said:
    Forgive my ignorance, but what's a graft? The tie I bought myself from a garden centre and it is very soft, I made sure to leave some wiggle room then the tree can blow slightly and develop roots while not blowing over, and it isn't rubbing on the trunk. The tree was also leaning a lot and growing at an angle so needed encouraging to grow upright. It's tied below the damage and is healthy below and underneath the rubber, it's the trunk and branches just above and around the damage that's spotty. The rest of the tree/leaves are ok but I am concerned it'll spread fast. 

    Ah, OK, I couldn't really tell what the tie was like from the picture and it looked textured/rough on the inside. It looks like there's also some string or similar higher up, so make sure that isn't rubbing when the wind blows.
    I don't think the little brown marks on the leaves are anything to worry about as it's only a few leaves. Trees naturally shed older lower leaves which are shaded out by higher growth as they grow, and little marks like that could be from some physical damage that occurred when the leaves were just opening, eg from a hail shower.
    I think the marks on the bark could be the start of lenticels developing, which would be absolutely normal, but maybe a tree expert can help?
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • BouncingBackBouncingBack Posts: 142
    The strings higher up are old nylon stretchy tights I've cut up and am using to hold heavy branches up as it's leaning so much under its own weight, and all advice I've sought so far, including from the landscaper, is not to prune it yet as it's still so young and was only planted a few months ago. It's very top heavy and left unsupported it would've blown over by now, or collapsed as the new growth has been disproportionately huge compared to the size of the trunk which is still quite small.
  • robairdmacraignilrobairdmacraignil Posts: 782
    jenniferavril said:
    Ahhh ok I'll leave it and see how it gets on then, thank you for your help! I'm watering everything early morning (have gone overboard and taken on too many plants for an amateur!) and feeding once a week with a liquid feed. In dry, hot weather like this I'm watering in the evening too. If the tree does continue to worsen, if we dig it up will the surrounding soil be affected? It's planted in a raised bed with good drainage and has decent mulch with space around the base of the trunk.

    From reading that Wikipedia page it does very much look like a graft and would explain the cling film - is it normal for the area to ooze and be discoloured (it looks wet)? And are the spots ok? 

    The top growth being so vigorous and floppy may be connected with the regular liquid feeding so I would stop this. I have also seen advice that it is better to water less frequently but with a good amount when you do so the roots are encouraged to travel deeper into the soil and don't just stay near the surface.

    The vigorous growth encouraged by feeding plants can be more susceptible to disease but the brown marks on the leaves don't look like anything serious to me and it is fairly common for older leaves to get some ware and tear before they are replaced by newer ones. The ooze coming from the graft area could be a sign of some infection but since the tree is looking healthy overall I'd be inclined just to let it grow out of it on its own.

    Happy gardening!
    https://www.youtube.com/user/sustainableveg/videos
  • bcpathomebcpathome Posts: 1,313
    Yes I think that’s more or less what I said. Hadn’t realised you’d been feeding it .Stop ,and just water .Let it be now .
Sign In or Register to comment.